The Uumbaji Art Gallery located at Kent State University Oscar Ritchie Hall, is pleased to present BRASILIA, Straight Lines, Curves and Shadows by the Brazilian photographer Ricardo Pinheiro Penna, from February 24 to March 21, 2014, curated by Moema Furtado. An Opening Reception will take place on Thursday, March 6 from 5-7 p.m.. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Ricardo Pinheiro Penna holds a B.A. degree in Architecture from the Universidade de Brasilia, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. He worked as a photographer for the Brazilian newspapers, O Correio Braziliense, and O Estado de Sao Paulo. He also was a photographer for the Brazilian magazine VEJA.

Ricardo spent his youth in Brasilia and witnessed its construction from the start. He acquired a special love for the Central Plateau’s unique sky and vegetation, as well as for the amazing city built in three years and inaugurated in 1961.

Inspired by the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa’s urban plan, Ricardo captured with these photographs the essence of the city, its straight lines, curves and shadows.

“Large spaces, pinpointed by huge monuments designed by Oscar Niemeyer and an absolute linear horizon contour produces delightful shadows. People move against these lines and in contrast with empty spaces. The walls, the concrete, the sun and the people are the essence of my photographs and part of my dreams about the city”.

This exhibit is sponsored by Kent State University College of the Arts, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, and the Pan-African Studies Department.